Fallen Hero
by ManOfAction1138
Summary: Liam is a young man suffering from severe delusions. He believes that he is the reincarnation of a person named "Link", who was apparently revered long ago as the "Hero of Time". Few believe him and he's spent most of his young adult life in a mental hospital. But what is reality and what is fantasy? Co-written with Sophie Dugas.
1. Hope Dies

Link cringed with pain as Ganondorf's sword slashed into his shoulder. The young hero had finally arrived at the Gerudo tyrant's fortress, which was made from the remains of Hyrule Castle. The journey so far had been very emotionally exhausting for Link. First, the Great Deku Tree, the closest thing he had to a father, had died because of a monster that was making him sick. Then he was told he had to deliver the Kokiri Emerald to someone named Princess Zelda, which forced him to leave the forest for the first time in his life.

Accompanied by a fairy named Navi, he traveled across a great field to the castle where the princess lived. It took some time, but Link was finally able to avoid the guards and get to the royal garden. Upon gazing at Princess Zelda for the first time, Link felt something he never felt before. It felt like a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders and that all was right with the world. Unfortunately, those feelings had to be put aside when Zelda told him about the mysterious man who was visiting her father.

The man was Ganondorf, king of a desert tribe known as the Gerudo. Despite barely knowing him, Zelda could see evil in his eyes. She tried telling her father about this, but he did not believe her. Thankfully for her, Link did. For some reason, the boy felt that the princess was telling the truth and he wanted to help her. She told him about the dream she had, where dark clouds covered the land, choking out the light of the sun. The girl was certain that Ganondorf would be the cause of this future tragedy. She believed that his true intentions were to steal the Triforce, a sacred relic that can grant wishes.

The princess tasked Link with finding the two remaining Spiritual Stones: the Goron's Ruby and the Zora's Sapphire. They were the key to getting to the Master Sword, hidden in the Temple of Time. Link was successful in retrieving the stones, but returned to find Hyrule Castle burning and evil creatures terrorizing its citizens. Shocked by this terrible sight, Link feared for Princess Zelda's safety. He ran to the castle, only to find out that Ganondorf had slain the king and seized the throne. Once the drawbridge had lowered, Link watched Zelda and her bodyguard Impa riding away on a horse, afraid for their lives. When Zelda saw that Link had come back, she threw an object into the castle's moat, praying that it would help him on his journey.

After being violently accosted by Ganondorf, Link looked to see what Zelda had left for him. It was the Ocarina of Time, a precious heirloom of the royal family. Link entered the Temple of Time and pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal. Since he was too young to wield such a mighty weapon, the blade put him to sleep for seven years.

When he woke, Link discovered that he was an adult. The kingdom of Hyrule was in complete ruin, and the people lived miserably. Ganondorf was now the sole ruler of Hyrule, and used his authority to torment the people. On top of that, Princess Zelda was nowhere to be found. After rescuing the Seven Sages, Link ran towards Hyrule Castle, armed with the Master Sword and the Ocarina of Time. He was prepared to face Ganondorf. The fact that Zelda was his prisoner motivated him even more. However, the battle was not going the way Link had planned.

"Give up, you piece of Hylian garbage! You cannot defeat me!", Ganondorf arrogantly proclaimed. Link leaned on the Master Sword to stand back up, coughing up blood. He couldn't give up. He had to win. An innocent woman's life was at stake. The young man was so hurt he could barely stand. Ganondorf smiled. The Hero of Time was no match for him. Once he slays him, no one will dare stand in his way! But it wasn't enough. The Gerudo King wanted to see Link suffer.

As the hero was struggling on the ground, Ganondorf freed Zelda from her crystal prison. The princess did not say anything. She was too terrified to move, let alone open her mouth. She felt her heart breaking inside her chest. At that exact moment, she knew she was doomed. Powerless, Link watched Ganondorf stab the love of his life. He screamed, tears falling on his cheeks. No. It couldn't be.

Zelda fell to the floor, her beautiful dress tarnished by blood and her face frozen with fear. Her eyes were open wide with shock, never to see the light of day again. Link held her against him, tears in his eyes. He desperately wanted to slash Ganondorf's throat. He wanted him to suffer for what he did. The monster had killed Zelda in cold blood, without a second thought.

Sadly, Link did not have the strength to fight anymore. As he lowered his head in defeat, he could hear Ganondorf's footsteps approaching. The Gerudo let out a low chuckle as he asked, "How does it feel, Hero of Time? To reclaim the one you love and yet lose her at the same time? Does it hurt?" The boy, in his shock, nodded mutely. He no longer had the strength to fight now that Zelda was gone. Link felt Ganondorf's breath in his ear as the Demon King whispered, "Do you want this pain to go away forever?"

Link nodded again and suddenly felt a hand grab the back of his head. Forced to look into Ganondorf's eyes, Link saw him summoning magic into his other hand. Laughing cruelly, the Demon King declared, "Then allow me to oblige!" He enveloped the hero's face with dark magic, causing Link to scream. And then…


	2. Reality

Liam woke up in a bed that wasn't his. It took him a while to fully regain consciousness. The blonde looked around. White bed. White walls. White floor. White ceilling. He was still in that dreaded hospital. It has been that way for God knows how long. He should have never told others about his past life. When he was seven years old, he told his best friend Sarah about his time in Hyrule. A few days later, the girl informed the teachers about Liam's crazy story. Sarah wasn't a bad person, she never was. She was simply worried about him. She never wanted him to be trapped in a depressing hospital, forced to swallow a bunch of pills every single day.

After a bit of a struggle, Liam managed to get up. His vision was still blurry. He confusedly stared at his forearms. Was it him or was there even more cuts than usual? Honestly, he could barely remember what happened in the last few days. It was probably the medication. He felt like a Redead most of the time. The doctors could shove all the pills they wanted down his throat, he would never forget Zelda. A busty, pink-haired nurse came into the room. Like usual, she was wearing way too much makeup and wore those fake nails Liam hated. She came up to him with a glass of water. "How's it going honey?" she said in a sensual voice.

She sat on his bed. Liam knew what was in that darn glass of water. The mandoraty medication, which he forgot the name. All pills were the same to him. For years they've tried to convince him that Hyrule wasn't real and that Zelda never existed. But Liam knew. He wasn't insane! They were the ones who were insane! The nurse, Gabriela, gave him the glass the water. Liam drank it without a second thought. In this place, it was better to obey without protesting. He learned that the hard way. The young man waited for Gabriela to leave the room.

Liam spent several hours laying in his boring, white bed. It's not like he had anything else to do. He wanted to cry, but he had no tears left. He was used to the pain by now. He soon heard familiar footsteps. A girl that he knew well entered the room. Despite being eighteen, she looked like a thirteen-year-old. She has short brown hair, emerald eyes and was wearing a green turtleneck. It was Sarah. The last time she visited him was months ago. "L-Liam?" she hesitated. "It's me… remember?" "Of course I remember", Liam replied harshly. "I don't have Alzheimers." The young man still hated Sarah for what she did all those years ago, despite her many attempts to be kind to him. "Liam…" the girl asked. "The doctors said you could go outside for an hour if I went with you…" Despite his harsh feelings, Liam understood that she was just trying to be nice. She probably still hated herself for telling the teachers about his mental state back then.

After a brief hesitation, Liam decided that the outdoors might do him some good. "I guess I'll go with you then", he said in a monotone voice. Sarah felt her heart breaking inside her chest when she saw all the cuts on her friend's arms. Trying to hold in her tears, she took his hand. "You're still hurting yourself, aren't you?", Sarah asked with concern. "That's none of your business", Liam rudely protested. The girl lowered her head. She felt horrible for him. "Ok then.", she declared weakly, "Let's go outside, okay?"

* * *

Hand in hand, the two teens walked out of the hospital. Liam felt weird: It's been forever since the last time he saw the sunlight. Near the mental hospital was a forest. Sarah and Liam would walk there whenever she visited him. And today was no different. The trees in the forest were emerald green. Liam appreciated the change. It was certainly better than the dreaded white walls he was used to. Everthing was fine until they came across an old tree. The Great Deku Tree. Liam remembered the old tree, the closest thing he ever had to a father. He remembered witnessing him die slowly and painfully, rotting away at an agnonizing pace.

Liam fell to his knees, shaking. "Liam!" screamed Sarah. "Are you okay!?" The young man was barely conscious anymore. Convulsing, he started mumbling a bunch of nonsense. Something about a "Deku Tree" and a "Kokiri Forest". Despite her own panic, Sarah tried to calm him down. "It's going to be fine! Breathe, Liam! You're going to be fine…" For the first time in forever, Sarah saw her friend shedding a tear. Liam was crying. Sarah couldn't even remember the last time she saw him crying. "We're going back inside, you're clearly not ready for this yet!", she declared, panicked. "Come on, Liam… get up!" After a bit of a struggle, she managed to help him stand up. "What is with you anyway?" she asked, worried. "Come on, let's get back inside…" Liam was insane. He lost it a long time ago. But Sarah still felt terrible for him… Surely, there must be something she could do to help him…

She never wanted this. When she was a child, she told the teachers because she was worried about him. But now, she realized that all the authorities did was make it worse. It was her fault he was like this… Sarah hoped that one day, Liam will forgive her. She never set out to ruin his life. She just wanted him to get help…


	3. Breakdown

"I-I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK!", Liam screamed. "Liam, please...", Sarah begged, on the verge of tears. What was she supposed to do? How does one deal with people like that? Despite feeling the urge to run away, she tried to stay focused. "L-Liam, I'm begging you...", she said, but the young man kept repeating, "I don't want to go back... I don't want to go back... I don't want to...!"

"P-Please", she whimpered. "It's for your own good..." But the young man continued to ignore her pleas. He ran away as fast as he could, eventually disappearing from sight. Sarah was in shock. The right thing to do was to call the cops, but... Liam would keep on being miserable if she did. But... Liam was mentally ill. He couldn't simply run around in the wild. He was a danger to himself and other. Trying to ignore the pain in her chest, Sarah took out her cellphone.

* * *

Liam was found in the woods, curled up into a ball. Three policemen were now surrounding him. Liam confusedly looked up. As soon as he saw the three strong men, he kicked one in the private area. The policeman screamed in pain, but it took more than that to distract him from his job. He firmly grabbed Liam's arm, refusing to let go. Another policeman took out a needle from his pocket. Liam screamed. "NO! P-PLEASE, NO!"

But the men ignored his pleas. Liam's fear turned into anger and, with a surprising amount of strength, he pushed the guards off of him. "Don't touch me ever again.", he let out in a low growl. One policeman was able to grab the needle, however, and he plunged it into Liam's leg, making him cry out in pain. The blonde quickly fell into a deep sleep, no longer having control over his body.

* * *

Liam woke up several hours later. He was still in the same hospital, that stupid hospital he despised. His eyes red from all the tears, he laid there, waiting for the sweet release of death. Thankfully, the universe had other plans. A little girl came into the room. It was Noah, Liam's younger sister. Like usual, she was wearing cute pastel clothes. "How's it going big brother?" she asked cheerfully. Liam moaned. He wanted to sleep forever. But Noah was not letting him have it. She ran up to him, holding a pink box. "I thought some chocolate might cheer you up!" she said in her high-pitched voice. As much as Liam wanted to die, he could never say no to chocolate. His little sister always knew how to make him feel better. For years she had been the only person able to make him feel somewhat good.

Noah was aware of her sibling's torment, but she tried to not let it get to her. She had to stay positive and happy to reassure him. Only then could she be able to help him, since happiness is contagious. She handed him the pink box. Liam took it from her hands without hesitation. As he ate the delicious sweets, Noah nervously looked around. The girl was waiting for the nurse to leave the room. She had to be alone with her big brother. Only then will she tell him what she has been dying to say.

After verifying that no one was there, she looked at her brother dead in the eye. "I'm going to get you out of here", she declared. Liam almost choked on his food. "W-What?", he asked. Noah smirked. "They let you go outside as long as you are with someone.", she explained, "One of these days, we'll go into the woods. Since there are lots of trees and bushes, it's easy to hide. We can just run away from here. I bought a hoodie so people don't recognize you."

It wasn't the first time Noah suggested him to escape. But Liam felt like this time was different. This time, she might actually do it. He saw fire in her eyes. She was determined to save him from this rotten place. "Thank you.", he murmured weakly, "Thank you so much." Noah winked. "At your service, big brother!" Liam couldn't remember the last time he felt this good. Not only was his stomach full of chocolate, his sister had an escape plan!

Sadly, a doctor soon came into the room. "It's time for Liam's medication", he said calmly. "Visits are over." Noah simply nodded. She left the room, after glancing at Liam one last time. The blonde looked at her sternly, as if to say "I'll be fine." He swallowed the pills without complaining. The doctor was pleasantly surprised that he didn't put up a fight. Little did he know that his patient was soon going to escape his grasp.


	4. Escape

Despite the time, Liam was sound asleep. Everyone woke up hours ago, but the blonde simply did not want to face reality. Not yet. He was comfortable as he was. If it was up to him, he would probably sleep for entire days. His thoughts were disturbed, however, when Gabriella entered the room. "Oh Liam!" she sung. "I'm here for you, honey…" The boy groaned. Not her… Gabriela was holding a plate in her hand, and a glass of water in the other. She sat on Liam's bed, dismissing his discomfort.

"A strong man like you has to eat!", she said. Liam winced. He hated hospital food. Thankfully, he could always count on Noah for bringing him chocolate or barbecue chips. Wanting Gabriela to leave him alone, he took the plate and the glass of water she gave him. Smiling devilishly, the busty nurse left a big, wet kiss on the boy's cheek. Liam tried his best to not strangle her. He hated her. She's been taking advantage of him for the longest time.

She was well aware that he was fragile. Which is why she would sometimes kiss him or grope him without asking. His feelings were irrelevant to her. She only saw him as easy prey. Liam still remembered that hellish night, where he begged for mercy as she assaulted him. "Leave", he managed to say. Gabriella let out a roaring laugh. A loud, obnoxious laugh that Liam despised. "Whatever you say, my dear!" The nurse finally left the room. Liam discreetly emptied his plate in the trash can. How can they mess up something as simple as pasta? It was as if they made it disgusting on purpose!

He refused to drink the glass of water as well. Knowing the doctors, they probably dissolved some kind of drug in it. Liam was about to go back to sleep when a little girl busted into the room. "Big brother!", Noah exclaimed as she sat on his bed. She had a bag with her. Inside were hoodies, snacks and some money. Liam smiled for the first time in a while. He felt… happy. Happy and excited. His little sister helped him stand up. The teens walked through the depressing white walls, where some screams could be heard. After all, Liam wasn't the only one who hated this place.

Thankfully, no one noticed them. The nurses simply assumed that the siblings were going outside for a walk. Liam and Noah finally reached the woods. They hid in bushes, before discreetly putting on hoodies. Noah winked and whispered, "Now, we run!" The youths ran as fast as they could. For the first time in years, Liam laughed. Noah called a taxi. Her brother and her sat on a bench and waited. Liam bit his lip. He was excited, but also extremely nervous. He was not used to freedom. Part of him was still scared, but he hoped that he had a bright future ahead of him.


	5. Love at First Sight

Zoe Daphne Nohansen was stuck. Every day was pretty much the same routine for her. Wake up, have breakfast with her father, walk to school, meet up with her friends, attend class, stay behind to tutor, and then come home. And, frankly, she was becoming rather bored of it. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate what she had. She most certainly did. She just felt like there had to be more to life than this.

Her friends invited her for a party after school, but she declined the offer. She was very popular: After all, she was extremely beautiful. The girl had long blonde hair, and big blue eyes. However, she did not enjoy her popularity. Most of her "friends" were shallow and superficial, and only hung out with her to make themselves look good. Zoe waited at the bus stop. She kept her head low, pretending to play on her phone. Not far from here, Liam and Noah were waiting for a taxi. Liam was nervously looking around, not sure what to make of his newfound freedom. Then, he saw her. When he saw her golden hair flowing in the wind, he knew.

"Zelda!", he cried out. Noah's eyes widened. "What?" Realizing he just said that out loud, Liam mumbled, "I said hell, duh. As in, why the hell isn't the taxi here yet?" Noah didn't quite believe him, but she played along. "Now that you mention it, we've been waiting for a while…" Liam couldn't stop staring at the gorgeous girl standing across the street. It had to be Zelda. She had the same gentle look on her face. The same perfect skin, the same sapphire eyes.

Liam was jolted out of his fantasy by the taxi coming to a stop in front of him and Noah. Taking his hand, his little sister led them into the taxi, where a strange little man was waiting. "Kooloo-limpah, travellers!", the man declared, "Where will the path of life take you today?" The man was certainly interesting to look at. He wore a brown trenchcoat over a green leotard with red trunks and had black hair that was spiked and frazzled.

Noah recoiled in shock at the man's frazzled demeanor, but Liam almost had a feeling of recollection. Like he knew who this man was. He was startled out of his thoughts by Noah's declaration of, "89 Outset Drive and step on it!" The driver adopted a mad grin and replied, "Hold onto something! Uncle Rupee likes to go fast!" "Who the hell is Uncle Rupee!?", Noah asked. The weird man replied, "You're sitting in him!"

"What the f…", exclaimed Noah as the taxi suddenly took off down the street, cutting off her curse. The driver seemed to be lost in his own world as he nearly ran over several pedestrians. Liam and Noah were sent tossing and turning in the back as the man continued his rampage. Finally, the taxi was approaching the street where Noah lived. The two youths could see that the driver wasn't slowing down and it looked like he was about to crash into the house.

Suddenly, he steered the car into a hard swerve, which caused it to tumble into a roll and fly into the air. When it fell into a parking position, the airbags went off, squishing everyone inside. "Thank the Great Fairy that Tingle had his travelling balloon converted into an airbag!", the man happily declared. "You almost killed us!", yelled Noah, "You're even crazier than my brother!" After the bag had deflated, Liam and Noah got out, paid the erratic driver and sent him on his way before he launched into another "I'm a fairy" rant.

"That is one A-class weirdo.", Noah huffed. Liam gave her a look and sarcastically said, "I'm hurt." Noah blushed in embarrassment and let out a quiet, "Sorry." They walked up the steps to the house and Noah knocked on the door once she reached it. An elderly woman answered the door and was all smiles when she saw Noah. However, her smile quickly fell when she saw Liam. Noah immediately tried to ease the tension by saying, "Look who's home!"


End file.
